Condom Quest

From event to event at UConn, free giveaways are both an incentive and an added bonus for your participation. Yet, there are items that students can get for free everyday without waiting for a big event, only if you know the right spot. The item of choice? The condom.

Health Education Services offer 20 different types of condoms, according to Joleen Nevers, Health Education Coordinator, and getting some free samples is as easy as walking into the Health Education office.

Located on the first floor of Rome Commons, South Campus Building D, the office is a great place to get condoms.

Students who ask for goodie bags will receive a bag filled with an assortment of condoms and lubricants. According to Nevers, no two goody bags are the same. "Some people like the surprise aspect," she said.

For those students with a preference for a specific type of condom, Nevers said Health Education can provide them with an assortment tailored to their needs.

"If someone knows that they want the Bare Pleasure or Rough Rider condoms, we can make up a bag for them," Nevers said. Nevers also said some students need tighter or larger condoms. These customized goody bags are available by request in the office.

Nevers said the Health Education office also provides condoms to Community Assistants around campus, as well as to some of the cultural and academic centers. Emily Tritsch, 2nd-semester design tech major, said her Community Assistant in Buckley makes it very easy for residents to access condoms.

"My CA puts them in the girl's bathroom," said Tritsch.

The Infirmary and the Women's Clinic also offer free condoms to students, according to Nevers.

For those who aren't comfortable asking for condoms from the Health Education office or from their community assistants, there is a basket outside of the office in South D filled with some of the popular basic condoms.

"It's really easy [to get condoms from there], you can just pick them up out of the bowl," said Nicholas Carroll, a 6th-semester psychology major.

Nevers said students with latex allergies can get polyurethane and female condoms at the pharmacy on campus, located downstairs in the Infirmary. While they will cost students a few dollars, Nevers said they can put it on their fee bill. These products will not be itemized on their fee bills, according to Nevers, so students don't have to worry about their parents knowing they purchased them.

For students looking for something a little more fun, Nevers said glow-in-the-dark, tri-color and other specialty condoms are distributed at events hosted by the Health Education office.

Safe sex is encouraged on the UConn campus, and Nevers said the Health Education office is trying to appeal to as many students as possible.

"We look at the trends of what condoms students are using and adjust our supply," Nevers said. Nevers said the Health Education office is always looking for feedback, and students are encouraged to stop by and tell them what they want.

So if you're going to do it, do it safely. It's never been easier.